"Details" Goes Behind the Scenes at a Gay Teen "Exorcism"

Details' Matt McAllester goes behind-the-scenes at the harmful and controversial practice of performing "exorcisms" of gay demons. These so-called "deliverances" are often performed in Pentecostal and evangelical churches on LGBT youth, such as 20-year-old Kevin Robinson.

"You need to be delivered from homosexuality," the prophet said into a microphone so that all the church could hear. Kevin was embarrassed, but he stayed put. This was no normal preacher—she spoke God's truth. According to church dogma, homosexuality is a sin foisted on humans by demons who take possession of their bodies and compel them to act against God's will. These evil spirits can be exorcised by those trained in spiritual warfare in a ritual known among Pentecostal Christians as deliverance. Perhaps, Kevin thought, this prophet could finally deliver him from his demons.

The prophet placed her hands on Kevin and began to pray over him. "Come out, come out!" she shouted. "In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out! You gonna free him right now!"

Kevin closed his eyes, thinking to himself, "There's something wrong with me; I need to change." A part of him believed this prophet could do what no one else had been able to do during previous deliverance attempts—make him heterosexual. But the prophet was loud and she looked at him with disgust and contempt as her chants became more and more belligerent. Even now Kevin can't bring himself to repeat the most hurtful things she said. He soon began to cry. And then, with the prophet still exhorting the demons in him to depart, he blacked out and collapsed. ... It was, by Kevin's count, at least the 10th time since he was 16 that he'd subjected himself to gay exorcism.

Kevin Robinson's church is not in the Bible Belt and is located in Massachusetts, where marriage equality is the law.

You may recall last June, a video of a black charismatic church performing an exorcism on a gay teenager in Bridgeport, Connecticut—another gay friendly state with marriage equality—appeared on YouTube. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families investigated Manifested Glory Ministries but no charges were brought. The 16-year-old later appeared on Tyra Banks and claims he has been "healed" by the exorcism and is no longer gay.

And a special note: Details interviews DL Foster, the black Atlanta-based so-called "ex-gay" minister who admits that he still has "homosexual desires." You can say that again, "DL".

Comments

[Kevin Perez]

Proof that even in the most progressive, liberal places in the USA, coming out is still difficult and dangerous for LGBT of color or a minority background. I live in the state of Massachusettes (New England), and I don't feel safe/confident. I could totally picture something like this happening to me as well...

I wish I could punch the face of every Black/Latino man and woman who hold on such pritimive thinking towards LGBT. Especially since they're the two most despised minority groups in America and the rise of the Ex-Gay movement is flourshing in those "communities". The world must listen when the Straights of color scream racism. When LGBT of color try to stand up for themselves and not take BS from POC are are not LGBT, we're told to hush up, know our place and be given a false dilema of choosing race vs. sexual idenity.

Looks like the "victims" are using the same Imperialistic attitudes/beliefs to divide LGBT of color. There is, I mean this, NO VISIBILITY that presents us in a humane way without being the subject of a lame joke or a lapdogs for annoying Straight women.

[Grambling State]

this is disgusting and i know of at least one cousin who was subjected to this. he's the biggest church queen to this day but pretends to be so holy. the poor man is only fooling himself, they tolerate him and other gays as long as he ios quiet and pretends that he is "saved"

[Tamara]

This makes me sick to my stomach.

[Derrick from Philly]

Shame they don't have a similar ritual for fornicators and adulterers. The whole damn congregation of every holy roller church in this country would have to be exorcised....I mean, the whole world!

Come out, you fornicatin' demons!

[Cocoa Rican]

Religion and folks' strong convictions are a difficult discussion to undertake and even more difficult when we take the stand to convince people to be open minded and step out on faith from teachings they may have had all their lives. That said, as the son of a Pentecostal minister AND a child of God, I accept that I am homosexual and gave my parents the choice of either having a relationship with me IN SPITE of their beliefs OR to simply recognize that I would not change to accommodate them. It was/is a tricky ultimatum to make and one that FOR ME paid off...my parents chose to share ME and my life without discussing what I do in my bedroom. It isn't easy, but rather than convince folks that what we believe is right, we may want to convince them that our love for family is part of God's love and that BOTH parties can agree to honor that. My hope is that my parents and other anti-homosexual Christians will see that the homosexual community is no different than their community and that we are ALL God's children, flawed and worthy of his love and salvation.

[TheRevKev]

This is some vile madness that continues to show how backwards the Black church can be in its teachings.

STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED AND NOT ASHAMED OF THE WORD OF GOD!
(2 TIMOTHY 2:15) and yet Church folks are throwing rocks! Jesus said LET THE ONE AMONG YOU WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE and now church folks feel like they have permission to throw rocks at everyone!

DAMN THIS MADNESS TO HELL! I am sick of it! I am sick of church folks saying craziness like GOD TOLD ME TO TELL YOU and GOD PUT IN MY SPIRIT! It's madness and thank God some of us know God well enough to rebuke this foolishness, but at the end of the day, as long as oppressed people stay and let the oppressor oppress, we will never be spiritually free! EVEN THE SLAVES PLOTTED THEIR ESCAPE but gay men especially stay and take the whippings and the church feels empowered to first tell gays they are bad and then tell them they need to change and then sons and daughters coming to them saying I AM BAD and the church calls it DELIVERANCE! It's not! "I hate myself because you told me I was hateful and I just want to be loved, so I will put up with your mess if I think it will bring me love from you, even though you think I'm hateful and can never be loved." It reminds me of that old I DO COCAINE SO I CAN WORK HARDER SO I CAN MAKE MORE MORE SO I CAN...DO MORE COCAINE!

The thinking of being loving and Christ-like and beating someone--physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally--is so UNChrist like that I am shocked at the numbers of times I must talk about it.

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!

[Honut Sinti]

OK. Let's see how committed Hattie Mae, Joe and their their group are. They should look at themselves in the mirror and wave their prayer cloths about, spray spritz water, rub their prayer beads, beat their chests, stomp their feet, bang their drums/tambourines and shout their own evil away.

[Marco Polo]

And why was I not surprised when that "minister" from the Bridgeport, CT church admitted to having had same sex relationships and desires herself on Tyra? Yulp. Somebody pour her tall, cool glass of sitchoassdown.

If you want hate yourself, fine. But don't project that mess onto others.

[Cocoa Rican]

Throughout history one thing rings true, religion and differences in beliefs has been the cause of more wars than any other reason - PERIOD. That said, I don't think that as a community our focus should be on changing someone's religious beliefs, rather understanding what is acceptable behavior and interaction with our fellow man in spite of our differences. Basically being evolved enough to accept that we are all different and that our religion, sexual orientation, race, etc. are not precursors to being decent, kind, loving and tolerant human beings. Otherwise we can beat and berate each other to a pulp with about the same amount of change as we've had in the last thousand years.

[DT]

Indeed these folks need to have a seat. Amazing I just happened upon the videos of the Tyra show with this poor young man on, his 'pastors" and a nice young lady that works with an LGBT youth org in his area which I believe was a year or two ago and I wondered what was going on with him now. I feel for the guy. These people don't understand what they are doing to him and other youths like him. D. McClurkin does not understand what he did to all those LGBT youth during the last convocation making them come forward to admit they were gay in an unforgiving, hostile environment. They don't realize you cannot deny who you are...or maybe he did but is trying to so hard to separate himself from his sexuality to be accepted that he does not internalize the damage. They don't realize when you cannot deny who you are you act on it and often times in an unsupportive environment you act on it in a destructive manner. I'm really worried for this young man and all the young LGBT people in these anti-gay churches because I grew up one and I know what it's like. Thank God for my mother loving me just as I am and accepting me.

@Marco Polo I agree. You pour her that glass and I'll give her a plate of shut the hell up!